Everett Goes Berserk, Sox Beat Mets (7/15/00)

Woah....what the hell was that about? In one of the most baffling displays of aggression since Ty Cobb, Carl Everett let his rage get to him as he attacked home plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected from the game. After Dennis Cook whined that he was over the batter's box last night, Kulpa enforced the rule in the bottom of the second. Everett headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by a bevy of people from doing any further damage. His insanity overshadowed what turned out to be a good win against a good team. Ramon Martinez (7-5, 5.60 ERA) allowed two first inning runs but pitched shutout ball afterwards for five more innings. Brian Daubach came in for Everett and he hit a 3 run home run to break the tie in the sixth inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh inning and survived a Rich Garces meltdown in the top of the ninth. With the tying run at the plate, Derek Lowe got Melvin Mora to ground out to end the game. The Sox had won the game despite Everett's antics 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Calm down Carl!

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mets wasted no time getting to him. Melvin Mora was frozen for strike three and Derek Bell grounded out to third, but Edgardo Alfonzo walked to start. Alfonzo swiped second but Mike Piazza walked as well. Todd Zeile doubled to the centerfield wall to score both runners but Matt Franco flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                         Mets take the lead

Mike Hampton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a grounder to the mound to start. Jeff Frye doubled off the Monster but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra check-swinged grounded out to third to end the inning. Jay Payton popped up to Carl Everett before Mark Johnson flied out to left. Benny Agbayani grounded a base hit up the middle but Ramon buzzed Mora up and in. Agbayani was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Carl Everett stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the second and took a first pitch before Ron Kulpa told him he couldn't stand where he was standing. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out but Everett said he's got this. Everett took a step back and took another pitch. After swinging and missing at strike one and fouling another pitch off, Kulpa again crossed the line off and told Carl not to stand there. This time Carl lost his head and was thrown out by Kulpa. Everett actually headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by Darren Lewis, first base coach Tommy Harper and third base coach Wendell Kim. Jimy Williams apologized to Kulpa as Everett was escorted out. He continued his tirade in the dugout and Bret Saberhagen tried to talk some sense into him. Brian Daubach took his place and struck out swinging to complete the at-bat. Troy O'Leary grounded back to Hampton and Izzy Alcantara got booed by the Fenway crowd before he struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Everett loses it

Mora grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bell took strike three on the outside corner. Alfonzo doubled into the left field corner but Piazza struck out swinging to end the inning. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Zeile made a great play to rob Lewis of a base hit. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alexander booted a grounder by Zeile to start the top of the fourth but Franco banged into a double play. Payton dumped a base hit to right and Johnson struck out swinging on a good changeup to end the inning. Frye flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar popped up to short to end the inning.

The Mets beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Agbayani grounded back to the mound to start. Mora grounded out to short and Bell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach was drilled to start. Payton fell down catching a fly ball from O'Leary but Alcantara dumped a base hit to center. Alexander blooped a base hit to center to score Daubach and Lewis hit a routine grounder to Franco. Franco fired to first but it went under the glove of Zeile to score Alcantara to tie the game. Offerman hit a bullet....right to Alfonzo who doubled off Lewis at second to end the inning. Replays showed Lewis was actually safe but the Sox still tied the game 2-2.

                                                      Big break for the Red Sox

Martinez returned for the top of the sixth and Alfonzo grounded out to third to start. Piazza doubled into the left field corner but Zeile grounded out to third. Franco flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Frye slashed a base hit to center to start. Varitek grounded out to first to move Frye to second and Nomar was intentionally walked. Daubach made the Mets pay for such treachery with a 3 run blast to put the Sox ahead. O'Leary grounded out to short and Alcantara grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox.

                                                           Daubach puts the Sox on top

Before the top of the seventh inning started Fox cameras caught Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan telling Ramon Martinez that he had "protection" in case something went wrong the following inning. Joe stuck to his word as Payton singled to right to immediately chase Ramon to start. Martinez pitched 6 plus innings and allowed just two runs. Rheal Cormier came in to pitch and Todd Pratt pinch hit for Johnson only to strike out swinging. Agbayani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                        Ramon goes six plus and keeps the Sox ahead

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Alexander hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Lewis drew a walk, Offerman singled in the hole at second and Frye blooped a single down the right field line. Lewis scored on the sac fly to center by Varitek but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                 Varitek drives in a run

Cormier returned for the top of the eighth and Mora flied out to left to start. Bell popped up to third and Alfonzo flied out to center to end the inning. Richie Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Daubach flied out to left to begin. O'Leary flied out to right but Alcantara doubled down the left field line. Alcantara moved to third on a balk but Alexander popped up to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Piazza drilled a home run into the Red Sox bullpen to start. Zeile flied out to left and Franco grounded back to the mound, but Payton stuck his bat out and singled in the hole at short. That was it for Garces as Sox manager Jimy Williams called upon Derek Lowe to get the save. Payton took second on defensive indifference and scored on the base hit to center by Pratt. Agbayani singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Daubach made a great pick on a bad throw by Lowe on a grounder by Mora to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                     Mora is out to end the game

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run homer in the sixth put the Sox up for good and he made the game ending play at first while not even supposed to be playing today.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rheal Cormier tossed two scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 20th save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Everett technically struck out in his only at-bat.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble when they lose Everett to a suspension for this. They're already underperforming offensively and losing their second best hitter isn't going to help. Its his own fault and there's no defending that by any means. If the umpire says you can't stand in that spot, don't headbutt the guy! We all thought Izzy Alcantara dogging it two weeks ago was bad but this was far worse. Speaking of Izzy, he had a couple of hits in this game in his first start after being benched and hopefully he's learned his lesson. The Sox are gonna need his bat now that Everett will be out a while. Then again, the suspension could be appealed and Bud Selig may have an air conditioner fall on his head and he forgets this ever happened. While that's preposterously unlikely, the fact is Everett can still play until the suspension is verified. As for the game, that was a good win against a good team and Ramon Martinez pitched well today. Nomar couldn't keep his average above .400 but the rest of the team scratched out runs and got on base with some timely hits. Frye, Lewis and Alcantara got it done and so did Daubach. The Sox have a lot of work to do to fix their offense that caused them to relinquish first place in June so we'll see what happens. The win improved the Sox to 45-42, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Interleague play continues tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Montreal Expos. Tim Wakefield (5-5) gets the start for the Sox against Mike Johnson of Montreal. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Pedro Returns From DL, Sox Rally Past Mets (7/13/00)

Before the game it was announced that taking Paxton Crawford's place on the roster would be the returning Pedro Martinez. He's all healed up and ready to go as the Sox look to rally in the second half after their dreadful June swoon.

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the Sox started the second half of the season with a thrilling come from behind win against the New York Mets in Interleague Play. Pedro Martinez returned from the Disabled List to toss 7 innings of 2 run ball, showing no signs of rust or injury. The Sox took a 2-1 lead but a Jay Payton home run off Pedro tied the game in the top of the seventh inning. The Mets got an unearned run when Carl Everett booted a Mike Piazza base hit that scored Edgardo Alfonso with the go-ahead run in the eighth. Down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Daubach pounded a 2 run double to give the Sox a stunning 4-3 walkoff win over the Mets at Fenway Park.

                                                                 Happy Fans

Pedro got the ball in the top of the first inning and Melvin Mora led off with a pop up to third in foul territory. Derek Bell grounded out to third and Edgardo Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. Bobby Jones got the ball for New York in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a walk....only to get thrown out at second trying to steal. Jeff Frye lined out to right but Brian Daubach singled to center. Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning.

The Mets struck first in the top of the second as Mike Piazza grounded out to third to start. Robin Ventura went down hacking but Todd Zeile doubled off the Monster. Jay Payton doubled down the left field line to score Todd to put New York ahead. Benny Agbayani flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                           Zeile scores a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett struck out swinging to start. Troy O'Leary doubled off the Monster but both Morgan Burkhart and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning.

Joe McEwing beat out a roller to third to begin the top of the third and took second on the sacrifice bunt by Mora. Bell took strike three and Alfonzo whiffed to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to begin the bottom of the third and Offerman grounded out to first. Frye walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Piazza flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Ventura went down hacking. Zeile also struck out swinging to end the inning. Nomar tried to start a rally when he singled to left to begin before swiping second on the swinging strikeout by Everett. Both O'Leary and Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Payton watched strike three go by to start the top of the fifth but Agbayani walked. McEwing singled to left but Mora flied out to left. Bell popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Varitek whiffed badly to start. Sprague Jr and Offerman drew back to back walks and Frye beat out an infield single to load the bases. Unfortunately Daubach popped up to first in foul territory and Nomar flied out to center to end the inning.

Pedro cruised in the top of the sixth as Alfonso struck out swinging to start. Piazza flied out to right and Ventura grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth as Everett singled to left to start. O'Leary popped up to second but Burkhart crushed his second home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Varitek popped up to second and Sprague Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                            Burkhart jacks one out

Pedro failed to hold the lead in the top of the seventh although Zeile took strike three to start. Payton then hit a home run all the way to Luxembourg to tie the game. Agbayani took strike three and McEwing struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. That was it for Pedro who looked strong by going 7 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out 10 in 104 pitches.

                                                           Pedro keeps the Sox in it

Dennis Cook came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman flied out to right to start. Frye took strike three and Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Mets took command in the top of the eighth with Rheal Cormier now on the mound. Mora grounded out to third to start and Bell lined out to short. Alfonzo singled to left and that was it for Cormier as Rich Garces came in to face Piazza. Naturally Mike blooped a base hit to center...that Everett booted for an error that scored Alfonzo to give the Mets the lead. Ventura struck out to end the inning but the Mets now led 3-2.

                                                           Dammit Everett

John Franco came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nomar singled in the hole at short to start. Nomar moved to second on the Everett grounder to first then to third on O'Leary's grounder to first. Burkhart took strike three to end the inning.

Garces returned for the top of the ninth and Zeile hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Payton grounded out to second but Agbayani was hit with a pitch. McEwing singled to center but Mora popped up to left to end the inning. David Lamb came in for Agbayani with Armando Benitez now on the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth. Varitek grounded out to first before Scott Hatteberg was sent in to pitch hit for Sprague. Hatteberg walked and Manny Alexander pinch ran for him. The game looked over when Offerman hit a double play ball to short but Mora booted it for an error. Frye flied out to left but Alexander moved to third to put runners at the corners. Down to his last strike, somehow Daubach doubled down the right field line to score both Alexander and Offerman to win the game. The Sox had walked it off 4-3.

Sox Win

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 2 run double in the bottom of the ninth won the game.

                                                             Hero Daubach

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg walked as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

Pedro Martinez was brilliant, tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 10 batters.

Rich Garces got the win by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Morgan Burkhart was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but the one hit was a 2 run homer.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.

Rheal Cormier was charged with an unearned run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Now that's how you get off to a good second half start. The Sox looked dead in the water down a run in the ninth with the double play ball headed to Mora. The Sox were lucky Mora booted it but Daubach's double was anything but lucky as it was struck well enough to win the game. Pedro's oblique has healed and he looked great by striking out 10 batters. The only hiccup was Everett's error that allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth but Everett had started the sixth inning rally with a hit so gotta take the good with the bad. All in all the Sox desperately need a winning streak to get back in first place and hopefully this could be the start. The win improved the Sox to 44-41, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Mets tomorrow night when they send Pete Schourek (2-8, 4.67 ERA) against Glendon Rusch of the Mets. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Mulholland, Braves Shut Down Sox (7/8/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. After his impressive showing against the Minnesota Twins, rookie Paxton Crawford has been sent back to Pawtucket. The Sox are about to go on the all-star break so it makes no sense to have Crawford rot on the bench when he could keep hot down in Pawtucket in the meantime. With the starting pitching woes the Red Sox have, we'll be seeing him full time very soon.

                                                                OUT

As for the game, the Sox apparently can't hit Terry Mulholland of the Atlanta Braves. After tossing 5 shutout innings against them last month, Mulholland topped that by holding the Sox to just 1 run in 8 innings of work for a grand total of 13 innings and 1 run allowed. Keep him away from the New York Yankees when the trade deadline comes. As for the pitching side, Ramon Martinez (6-5, 5.79 ERA) actually pitched well but got no run support. Ramon and the Sox fought valiantly to a 1-1 tie going into the seventh when Rheal Cormier and Bryce Florie allowed a Martinez inherited runner to score to give the Braves the lead. Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones both homered off Jeff Fassero and that ended that. The Sox fell further behind in the AL East race by dropping the game 5-1 to the Braves at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ren turns his back on bad relief pitching

Ramon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Quilvio Veras flied out to left to start. Andruw Jones took strike three but Chipper Jones walked. Jones was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Mulholland got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to right to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Carl Everett grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second as Brian Jordan doubled to left to start. Andres Galarraga struck out swinging but Wally Joyner singled to center. Javy Lopez singled home Jordan to give the Braves the lead. Bobby Bonilla struck out swinging and Walt Weiss flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 1-0.

                                                                   Lopez drives in a run

Nomar Garciaparra tried to start a rally with a double to right to begin the bottom of the second but could only move to third on the grounder to second by Morgan Burkhart. Troy O'Leary grounded back to the mound and Jason Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning.

Veras walked to begin the top of the third and moved to second on the grounder to short by Andruw Jones. Chipper Jones flied out to center to move Veras to third but Jordan grounded out to short to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Daubach popped up to third in foul territory. Offerman flied out to right to end the inning.

Galarraga hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the fourth before Joyner flied out to left. Lopez also flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Frye singled to left to start. Everett singled to left but Nomar grounded into a double play. Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bonilla grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Weiss grounded out to first. Veras walked but Andruw Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. O'Leary singled to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but got picked off. That was a huge out as Varitek doubled to right which would have tied the game. Sprague grounded out to third and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

Chipper Jones grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Jordan grounded out to second. Galarraga walked and stole second but Joyner grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally woke up in the bottom of the sixth although Offerman flied out to center to begin. Frye singled to left and Everett dropped a base hit to right to move Frye to third. All Nomar could do was score Frye with a sac fly to tie the game. Burkhart flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                  Nomar drives in a run

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Braves took the lead back in the top of the seventh. Lopez singled to left and Bonilla walk to chase Ramon. Martinez actually did well, he just didn't get any run support. Reggie Sanders pinch ran for Bonilla and Rheal Cormier came in to pitch to Weiss. Weiss hit one up the elevator shaft but Veras singled to left to load the bases. Bryce Florie came in to pitch to Andruw Jones and somehow struck him out swinging. Unfortunately Chipper Jones walked to score Lopez with the go-ahead run. Jordan struck out swinging to end the inning but the Braves led 2-1.

                                                          Jones gives the Braves the lead back

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh as O'Leary flied out to center to start. Varitek grounded out to short and Sprague Jr took strike three to end the inning.

Galarraga singled to left to start the top of the eighth to chase Florie. Jeff Fassero was brought in and Joyner popped up to second, but Lopez hit a home run all the way to Denton, Texas to ice the game. Sanders grounded out to third and Weiss grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 4-1 Braves.

                                                                  Lopez does it again

Daubach struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Offerman grounded out to third. Frye also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Fassero poured more gas on the fire in the top of the ninth as Veras popped up to short to start. Andruw Jones hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to wrap up the scoring. Chipper Jones singled to center and that was it for Fassero. John Wasdin came in to pitch and Jordan singled to left. Galarraga struck out swinging but both runners pulled off a double steal. Joyner took strike three to end the inning with the Braves ahead 5-1.

                                                       Jones with another Atlanta home run

The vile John Rocker came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar flied out to left and Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Braves had won it 5-1.

Jackass of the Night is Jeff Fassero. He turned a 2-1 game into 5-1 real quick to put the Sox in too large of a hole.

                                                              Jeff The Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Ramon Martinez did well, getting charged with 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

John Wasdin got the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4.

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bryce Florie allowed an inherited runner to score and was charged with 1 of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 but got picked off.

Rheal Cormier retired just 1 of the 2 batters he faced.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are limping toward the All-Star break and its clear to see that they can't compete with the elite teams in the league. They got swept out of New York and lost 2 of 3 in Atlanta last month and just dropped 2 in a row to the Braves at home. Unless Pedro Martinez is pitching, they don't look good against Cleveland either. Red Sox GM Dan Duquette has some work to do after the break to get some help at the trade deadline. The Sox are desperate for a second starter behind Pedro Martinez since Pete Schourek, Ramon and Jeff Fassero have all faltered. Paxton Crawford is an option but unless he pulls a 1981 Fernando Valenzuela, this team just isn't built for October success. Losing Bret Saberhagen and Juan Pena before the season didn't help but here we are. The Sox offensive woes returned but that's mostly due to the elite pitching of the Braves. Mulholland has their number and Glavine has always been tough to crack. The Sox have one game left before the break and hopefully they can avoid a sweep. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-41, 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon when Tim Wakefield (4-5) takes on Kevin Millwood of the Braves in the final game before the All-Star break. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hang On, Sweep Twins (7/6/00)

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Red Sox completed a four game sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The Sox scored a grand total of 44 runs in the last four games but gave up 27 of their own. Rookie Paxton Crawford (1-1, 2.19 ERA) earned his first Major League win by allowing just 1 run in 7 innings. Nomar Garciaparra hit two 2 run home runs and Brian Daubach also hit a 2 run bomb to pace the offense. The Sox were cruising but the bullpen fell apart for the second straight day. Rheal Cormier, Tim Young and Derek Lowe combined to turn an 8-1 game into putting the tying run at second base in the bottom of the ninth. Lowe managed to get out of it and the Sox had swept the Twins with a too close for comfort 8-7 win at the Metrodome.

                                                    Tommy Callahan says it all

The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Twins starter Brad Radke in the top of the first inning. Jeff Frye grounded out to first before Brian Daubach struck out swinging. Carl Everett singled to right and Nomar Garciaparra struck his 9th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Morgan Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                   Garciaparra with a 2 run bomb

The Twins answered in the bottom of the first against Crawford as Midre Cummings singled to center to start. Christian Guzman singled Cummings to third but Matt Lawton popped up to short. Guzman stole second and Ron Coomer scored Cummings with a sac fly. Corey Koskie grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins down 2-1.

                                                             Cummings scores a run

Troy O'Leary flied out to center to start the top of the second before Bernard Gilkey popped up to second. Jason Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning. David Ortiz singled to left to start the bottom of the second but Chad Moeller popped up to Frye in foul territory. Jacque Jones grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Ed Sprague Jr grounded out to short to start. Frye singled to left and Daubach plastered his 14th home run of the season to increase the lead. Everett grounded out to second and Nomar struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                              Daubach hits one out

Jay Canizaro flied out to center to start the bottom of the third but Cummings singled to right. Guzman singled to left but Cummings was doubled off second after a great catch by Everett on a sinking line drive off the bat of Lawton to end the inning.

Radke cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Burkhart grounded out to first to start. Both O'Leary and Gilkey struck out swinging to end the inning. Coomer popped up to Frye to begin the bottom of the fourth before Koskie did the same. Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning.

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Sprague popped up to second. Frye lined out to center to end the inning. Moeller grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the fifth before Jones struck out swinging. Canizaro flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Daubach flied out to left to start. Everett walked and Nomar belted his second home run of the day to increase the lead. Burkhart grounded out to second and O'Leary grounded out to short to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-1.

                                                         Another homer for Nomar

Cummings flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Guzman's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Daubach. Lawton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boston added to the lead in the top of the seventh although Gilkey grounded out to short to start. Varitek walked and Sprague singled in the hole at short before Manny Alexander pinch ran for Ed. Frye took strike three but Daubach hit a gap shot to right. Varitek scored easily and Alexander beat the throw home by a millimeter, but Daubach was gunned down at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                    Pinch runner scores a run

Crawford returned for one more inning in the bottom of the seventh as Coomer popped up to Alexander to start. Koskie doubled to right but Ortiz also popped up to Alexander. Moeller struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford was sensational, tossing 7 innings while allowing just 6 hits and a run.

                                                          Way to go Crawford

Bob Wells took over for Radke in the top of the eighth and Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar flied out to center and Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Rheal Cormier took over for Crawford in the bottom of the eighth and Jones lined out to Alexander to start. O'Leary hurt himself diving for a triple by Canizaro and had to leave the game. Frye moved to right, Gilkey went to left and Jose Offerman came in to play second as O'Leary was rushed to the local ICU. Cummings grounded out to third but Guzman singled home Canizaro to cut the lead. Lawton flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 8-2.

                                                            Guzman drives in a run

Eddie Guardado came in for the top of the ninth and Offerman singled to center to start. Gilkey banged into a double play and Varitek popped up to second to end the inning. Tim Young came in to mop up the bottom of the ninth but crapped his pants. Coomer popped up to first but Koskie was plunked. Ortiz then smashed a home run all the way to the Domican Republic to cut the lead. Moeller walked and that was it for Young. Sox closer Derek Lowe was brought in and he puked on himself as well. Moeller took second on defensive indifference and scored on the Jones single to center. Denny Hocking pinch hit for Canizaro and singled to center to put runners at the corners. Cummings grounded out to first but Jones scored and Hocking moved to second. Guzman singled home Hocking to cut the lead and swiped second. With the tying run at second base, Lowe got Lawton to ground out to second to end the game. Things got scary at the end but the Sox came away with the 8-7 win.

Hero of the Night is Paxton Crawford. The rookie earned his first ML win by allowing 1 run in 7 innings of work. He allowed just 6 hits and struck out 2.

                                                         Paxton Hero

The Good:

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer and 4 total rbis.

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with a walk an 2 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with two 2 run homers.

Jose Offerman singled in his only at bat.

Ed Sprague was 1 for 3.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bernard Gilkey was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in the eighth inning.

Tim Young was charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Derek Lowe allowed an inherited runner to score and 2 of his own in the ninth.

The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are going to be sad to leave Minnesota. They came into the series reeling and ended up scoring 44 runs to get the offense back on track. Unfortunately the pitching crapped the bed by allowing 27 runs in 4 games. The bullpen in particular has been rancid but that's going to change. Rich Garces, Lowe and Cormier are too good to be stuck in a rut for too long. The Sox are going to get Pedro Martinez back after the all-star break as well. Last night it was the role players that stepped up but tonight it was the stars. Everett, Daubach and Nomar carried the offense and it was a welcome sight to see. Crawford looked damn good in his sophomore effort without "Dizzy" Izzy Alcantara to muck things up for him. He's most likely gone when Pedro comes back but you'll see him down the road for sure. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum for a win streak heading into the break. The win improved the Sox to 42-39, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home to face the NL East leading Atlanta Braves in a 3 game showdown before the All-Star break. Pete Schourek (2-7, 4.25 ERA) takes on Braves ace Tom Glavine tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Outslug Twins (7/3/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Troy O'Leary was removed from the Disabled List after taking a few weeks off to deal with his impending divorce. The Sox are reeling from a lack of offensive production and they need Troy to get back to where he was last season. If he sucks again, the Sox better hope Bernard Gilkey can be the answer.

                                                                  IN

As for the game, the struggling Red Sox offense found their tonic in the form of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins knocked Ramon Martinez out in the fourth inning but the Red Sox bats exploded for 9 runs in the top of the inning. The Sox hit four home runs in the fourth inning alone but the Twins kept fighting back. Hipolito Pichardo and Rheal Cormier both got tagged for runs but the Sox offense pounded out 15 hits and 11 runs to outslug the Twins 11-8 at the Metrodome.

                                                 Roberta Vazquez approves of the win

Mike Lincoln got the start for Minnesota in the top of the first and Jose Offerman singled to right to start. Jeff Frye also singled to right but Morgan Burkhart banged into a double play. Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck first in the bottom of the first against Martinez as Jay Canizaro doubled to right to start. Canizaro moved to third on the fly out by Christian Guzman and Matt Lawton walked. Ron Coomer doubled home Canizaro and Corey Koskie walked to load the bases. Denny Hocking popped up to short but David Ortiz walked home Lawton to increase the lead. Chad Moeller popped up to first to end the inning with the Twins ahead 2-0.

                                                               Ortiz walks in a run

The Sox struck back in the top of the second as Carl Everett walked to start. Troy O'Leary singled in the hole at second but Ed Sprague Jr banged into a double play.  Jason Varitek hit a seeing eye single into left to score Everett and put the Sox on the board. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 2-1.

                                                          Varitek drives in a run

The Twins threatened again in the bottom of the second as Jacque Jones singled to center to start. Canizaro singled to left and Jones took third on a fly ball to center by Guzman. Lawton lined out to second and Coomer grounded out to third to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to left to start the top of the third and Frye grounded out to short. Burkhart singled to right but Daubach grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins added to the lead in the bottom of the third as Koskie walked and Hocking doubled him to third. Ortiz hit a sac fly to score Koskie and Hocking went to third on a grounder to short by Moeller. Jones lined out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                        Ortiz drives in another run

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Everett clubbed his 24th home run of the season to right to start. O'Leary then smashed his sixth of the season to tie the game. Sprague walked and Varitek drilled his fifth home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Alexander walked to chase Lincoln as Jason Ryan came in to pitch. Offerman forced Alexander at second before moving to second on a wild pitch. Frye walked and Burkhart crushed his first career home run to put the Sox up big. Daubach walked and Everett doubled to right to chase Ryan. Hector Carrasco came in to pitch and O'Leary doubled home both runners to add to the carnage. Sprague grounded out to short and Varitek flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox hit 4 home runs and scored 9 runs to take a 10-3 lead.

                                                                 What a barrage

The Twins answered in the bottom of the fourth as Canizaro singled to center and Guzman singled to right to start. Lawton doubled home Canizaro and Sox manager Jimy Williams had seen enough of Ramon after 3 plus innings. Hipolito Pichardo came in and was just as bad as Coomer singled home Guzman and Koskie singled home Lawton. Both runners moved over on a swinging bunt by Hocking that was thrown out at first and Ortiz hit another sac fly to score Coomer. Moeller struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 10-7.

                                                                     Ramon sucked again 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Alexander struck out swinging to start. Offerman flied out to right but Frye singled to right. Frye took second on a wild pitch, Burkhart walked and both runners moved over on another wild pitch. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. Jones grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Canizaro grounded out to short. Guzman walked and Lawton was hit with a pitch but Coomer grounded out to first to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before O'Leary flied out to left. Sprague struck out swinging to end the inning.  Rheal Cormier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Koskie singled to left to start. Koskie moved to second on the grounder to short by Hocking and old friend Butch Huskey pinch hit for Ortiz. Huskey grounded back to the mound to move Koskie to third and Moeller took strike three to end the inning.

Varitek walked to start the top of the seventh and Travis Miller came in to pitch. Somehow Alexander tripled into the left field gap to score Varitek with another run. Offerman grounded out to third, Frye struck out swinging and Burkhart went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-7.

                                                              A triple by Alexander

Jones struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh and Canizaro popped up to third. Guzman flied out to center to end the inning.

Jason Maxwell came in to play second base to start the top of the eighth as Daubach singled to right. Everett popped up to first, O'Leary flied out to center and Sprague also popped up to center to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth although Lawton grounded out to second to start. Coomer grounded out to second but Koskie doubled to right. Hocking singled to right to chase Cormier and score Koskie to inch the Twins closer. Derek Lowe came in for the four out save and old pal Midre Cummings pinch hit for Huskey. Cummings grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 11-8.

                                                            Hey look its Midre

Johan Santana came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek struck out swinging to start. Alexander struck out swinging but Offerman singled to left. Frye struck out swinging to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the ninth and Marcus Jensen pinch hit for Moeller to begin. Jensen grounded out to second, Jones grounded out to first and Maxwell took strike three to end the game. The Sox had hit four home runs and won the game 11-8.

Hero of the Night is Morgan Burkhart. His first home run of the season was a 3 run bomb that iced the game.

                                                      Daubach salutes our Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 total rbis.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run, a walk, 3 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Derek Lowe tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 18th save of the season.

The Bad:

Ramon Martinez got hammered for 6 runs in just 3 plus innings.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 1 of his own in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and tripled home a run.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Final Thoughts:

The bad news was Ramon Martinez sucked again and could be on his way out when his brother comes back. He looks all washed up and how many times are the Sox going to run him out there to get knocked out in the 3rd or 4th inning? Pichardo and Cormier also allowed runs and this bullpen is starting to look tired after the bad starts anyone other than Pedro Martinez has had this season. Thank goodness for Derek Lowe to slam the door. The good news was the offense clicked big time today and Burkhart led the charge with a 3 run bomb after the homers by Everett, O'Leary and Varitek. The Sox are hoping Sprague and Burkhart can deliver where Wilton Veras, Gary Gaetti and Donnie Sadler failed. The win improved the Sox to 39-39, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins when Tim Wakefield (3-5, 5.27 ERA) goes up against Eric Milton of the Twins. The game begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.